Early Childhood Special Education and Assistive Technology Blog

By: Katelyn Baron , EC-SEAT Scholar The following case study was done with a child who was receiving services through early intervention and was soon transitioning to their local public preschool. Since the child has a difficult time with all types of transition, the family and I thought that an application for the child to use to get ready before school would be beneficial for the upcoming change. The iPad has been a motivator for the child and therefore the family wanted to use it along with an application to promote independence. Family and Child-Centered Concerns: Recently diagnosed with Autism Delayed communication, fine motor, and cognitive skills Routines challenging and have not been in place for a long period of time Family just moved to a new house Transitions hard in all aspects- daily activities/tasks, playing with toys, leaving the house, etc. Objective: The f amily wants a routine in place for getting ready in the morning before heading off to school.  ...

By: Caitlin Henchey, EC-SEAT Scholar and NH Early Childhood Special Educator Social Stories This app create allows you to access, create, print, and share social stories. The app is free and comes preloaded with stories in categories like problem behaviors, friendship and feelings, and self care. While there are some free stories most you need to purchase. The free stories do come with rules icons and read the story aloud to the student. Also, you can create your own stories by typing in text and uploading pictures from the iPad photos. One of the elements I liked about this app was that you can record your voice (or the child’s) reading the page to turn your created story into a read aloud as well. You can also print these stories and supplements like icons and visual schedules so that they can be used independently from the iPad. Wet to Dry Handwriting This app also helps with the formation of numbers and letters. While you don't have to hold a pen, you do need to iso...

By: Jessica Heald, special educator and doctoral candidate in Education: Curriculum and Instruction at UNH. Below are six images and simple sentences helping a toddler pet her dog gently. This digital social story can be printed as a small paper book or viewed on a tablet (phone or computer). It was created using Google Slides. See below the story for other apps, web tools, and resources for creating digital social stories.      Apps and web tools to create digital social stories like the one above. App Name Creator Details Social Stories Creator & Library for Preschool Touch Autism Trial free version, can only create 2 social stories Social Stories Creator for Educators Touch Autism Can use photos, audio & text, play stories offline and send as PDFs, blank book template, can make visual schedules, Pro Upgrade includes ...

By: Carrie Portrie, EC-SEAT Project Coordinator in collaboration with Sophia Fowler, early supports and services provider and Jessica Heald, elementary special educator as part of a workshop presented to Early Head Start childcare partnership teachers. Many adults working and caring for young children have access to tablets with built-in cameras that can easily record infant and toddler learning. Using digital tools for observation and documentation can provide creative means for practitioners and families to reflect on infant and toddler growth. Below are tools to create social stories and learning stories on a tablet. Social stories are focused on targeted behaviors for specific interventions. Learning stories originate from New Zealand and are constructed in the oral story tradition or like a picture book illustrating a child’s observed explorations or interactions with peers and the environment. Below are resources and basic steps to begin creating these types of stories. ...